Of Memories and Mistletoe
by Tameh Ansho
Summary: She wasn't supposed to feel, wasn't meant to love. But the truth was, Artemis was just so tired of lying, even to herself; even more-so when it came to him.


_**Disclaimer: Dear Santa, I know I'm not an angel. I know I'm just as rude and sadistic and flawed as most high-school kids. But I promise, if you make my wish come true, I'll be the very best little girl I can be. You see, all I really want for Christmas this year is the rights to Young Justice. Oh, you say you can't do that? Well then, could you at least talk to the people who do own it and ask them for new episodes?**_

_**Sincerely, **_

_**Tameh Ansho AKA Celty. **_

_**~~~=^._.^=~~~**_

The world was hell.

Or at least, it would have been if hell was five below zero with a massive blizzard coating everything in snow and ice.

Okay, so maybe it wasn't hell, but Artemis would have preferred a hundred above compared to a hundred below when she stumbled into the Cave Christmas Eve. Her thick hair was matted with snow, its normal golden tone hidden almost entirely by a layer of white. Her typical black leather jacket and low-slung skinny jeans had been replaced by a thick green winter parka over a black long-sleeve shirt and baggy cargo pants, her tanned features flushed with cold.

Artemis groaned when the full heat of the Caves interior hit her, thawing her in a way that was almost painful. She made her way to the kitchen, shedding dripping gloves and other winter-wear along the way. She was pleasantly surprised to discover a near full pot of coffee waiting for her-Connor and Megan must have only just left to finish their last minute Christmas shopping.

Setting her book bag on the bar, she fished around in the pantry and fridge for a minute before heading back towards the coffee machine and setting down her arm-load. Once she was satisfied that she had everything she needed, she pulled the biggest mug she could find out of the cupboard (a massive red and yellow Flash mug three times the normal size) and began layering in the unique combination of ingredients known only to her family.

First was three heaping scoops of coco powder-the highest quality money could buy- followed by a healthy measure of both French vanilla liquid creamer and caramel syrup. Then came several strips of white chocolate, which melted almost immediately after the coffee was added. Finally, a handful of colorful mini-marshmallows and a thick squirt of whipped cream were placed on top once everything was thoroughly mixed together. _**(1)**_

The first sip had the blonde archer groaning with pleasure as it burned a trail down her throat, thawing her still-frozen insides. The second, however, brought with it a surge of bitter memories. The recipe for this particular concoction was one of her fathers own designs, developed to provide the perfect cure for post-training fatigue and frostbite. Artemis couldn't even remember how many times her father, Jade and herself had sat on the shore of the river near Gotham, the sisters gulping down mugs of the drink after a brutal day of training and sparring. More often that not in the winter, one or both of them would be shivering and soaking wet after a single mistake during environment training had sent them plummeting through the ice and into the bitter cold of the river.

Artemis scowled down at the steaming mug, tracing the lightning-bolt design with one thumb. She wished she hadn't grabbed this mug; it made her think about _him _too much. Wally wouldn't understand everything she had been through. His life was perfect: he had a loving family to go home to every day and not a single care in the world. He didn't have to worry about where the money for his next meal was coming from, or if his sister's dangerous gamble against the Shadows and been discovered.

Her scowl deepened to a full-on death glare and she took a deep drink of the steaming beverage in an attempt to drown the bees buzzing in her stomach at the thought of the red-haired speedster. She'd always admired Kid Flash when he was on the news; he'd always seemed so confident and kind. Then, when she'd joined the Team and realized what a rude, stuck-up, obnoxious _idiot_ he was, she thought she hated him. Just the mere _thought_ of his conceited grin and oh-so-_clever_ flirting with Megan-God damn it, aren't bees supposed to die after one sting?

It'd been like this for a while now. Whenever Wally was in the same room as her, or if he was mentioned at all in any context, it felt like someone let loose a hive of honeybees in her stomach. Mostly it was an angry, irritated pain-when they argued, or Wally was too busy flirting to even remember her name-but sometimes it dulled to a pleasant hum, a faint tickling and churning that caused the blood to rise to her cheeks. Like when he tended to her cuts and bruises after a mission, so gentle and caring, or when they bantered playfully during a movie or videogame tournament.

"You know, if you keep scowling for too long your face is going to freeze like that." A familiar voice snarked from in front of her, followed shortly after by the unmistakable scent of lightning-charged ozone and cinnamon. Artemis choked on the drink she had just taken, spluttering and coughing in an attempt to rid her lungs of the beverage even as he sped to her side and rubbed her back soothingly.

Oh goody, the bees were back!

"What…" she coughed, whipping her mouth with the back of her hand, "What are you doing here Wally?"

"What, so now I have to have a reason to hang out at HQ?" He grinned cheekily. "Actually, I'm just finishing the decorations."

Oh. That would explain where all the red and gold tinsel hanging down the walls had suddenly appeared from. Artemis shrugged his hand off subconsciously, noticing that his cheeky smirk had faded to an almost tender smile, his emerald eyes focused on the corner of her lips.

"What?" Her voice dropped to a quite whisper, her silver gaze locking with his emerald stare.

His hand twitched slightly, almost like he was second-guessing something, before reaching up and brushing his thumb against her lips, his hand lingering for just a second to cup her cheek. At first Artemis considered pulling away-she was a trained assassin and self-proclaimed Ice Queen, not a twittering high school prep with a crush for Christ sake!- but for once she lost control of her emotions and tilted her head to the side, pressing her cheek against his palm and reveling in its warmth. When he pulled it away to show her the streak of whipped cream on his thumb, she almost groaned with disappointment. "You missed a spot."

She rolled her eyes. "It's your fault it was there in the first place Baywatch!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

And just like that they fell into their old habits, both so convinced they were right that they would rather argue until the world ended than admit they were wrong. Yet somehow…this arguing was different. At first they would fight and bicker because they truly loathed each other, but now, it seemed they were arguing for arguments sake, as a veiled excuse to simply hear the others voice.

In the beginning, it could easily be said that Artemis and Wally hated each other. The reason for that hatred was simple enough to understand. At its core-beyond the long-held grudge that she had joined the team instead of Roy, under the envy of his perfect life that she would never have-the archer and speedster were simply too much alike. Their personalities, their mentalities, all the way down to the origin of their individual identities, the teammates were kindred spirits.

After a good quarter hour of arguing, and two full-scale whipped cream fights when Artemis' drink had been spilled and again when Wally's mug was broken, they found themselves collapsed on the floor of the living room. Wally had pulled a couple of beanbag chairs together to form a sort of makeshift bed, with the red-head sprawled on his back across them. Artemis was curled up and halfway laying on him, her face buried in the crook of his neck and her arm slung across his chest, their legs tangled together. Both were breathing heavily and covered in flecks of whipped cream.

"Urgh…" Wally grumbled, stroking a lock of Artemis's hair. "One of these days you're going to be the death of me woman."

Artemis chuckled dryly, secretly reveling in the warmth of his body beneath hers. "Shut up." When he didn't react she pushed herself up on one elbow, looking at him. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Wally was frozen, a shocked look on his freckled features as he stared at something above them. Confused, Artemis followed his gaze upward-taking a vague sense of pleasure in the way Wally flushed bright red when her hair brushed against his cheek- and froze as well. There, nestled in the glittering garlands hanging from the rafters, was a massive sprig of mistletoe.

And it was directly above their heads.

Artemis wasn't accustomed to honesty. In her short eighteen years, Artemis had been taught that to survive, you had to lie and pretend to be something you're not. She and Jade-well, they'd both been naturals at the first, but only Artemis had ever mastered the unique art of slipping into whatever lie she spun; she was so good at it that there were times she even managed to deceive herself. She pretended she was an assassin when working for her father. She pretended she was an only child, and the niece of Green Arrow. She pretended to hate Wally.

But…Artemis was sick of pretending.

And as she lay there, wrapped in Wally's arms and staring into his eyes under the mistletoe, she realized that he was tired of lying to himself as well.

"Wally I-"

In a flash of speed, the hand that was stroking her hair pushed down ever so slightly on the back of her neck at the same instant his rose up.

For and instant Artemis was frozen, her mind slowly processing the fact that the brief bit of motion on Wally's part had brought their lips together in a sweet, gentle kiss. Finally, though, her mind caught up with the present and her eyes flittered closed. She could feel the blood rising to her cheeks but she pushed her embarrassment to the side, choosing instead to simply enjoy this moment while it lasted. She was fully laying on him now, their legs still twisted together; his hand that wasn't stroking her hair was resting on the small of her back, tracing random patterns in her skin with his fingertips. Her own hands were laced behind his head, her fingers threading their way through his mass of fiery spikes as her head tilted ever-so-slightly and deepened the kiss.

Every place they touched burned with passion, and Artemis groaned with pleasure when as one their lips parted, their tongues meeting in a dance as old as time itself. The kiss was sweet and sensuous, fill of love and passion without a hint of anger or lust. Every fiber of her being begged for more, craving his touch like a forbidden addiction. But this…this tenderness, this compassion…This was what she needed. Not lust, not heat, just…This.

Just _**Him**_.

The world could have come crashing down around them, erupting into a blazing inferno of chaos and cataclysmic destruction, but they never would have noticed. Their troubles behind them for the moment, the Scarlet Speedster and Emerald Archer lay wrapped in each others arms as midnight on Christmas morning dawned, neither knowing nor caring what the future might bring.

_**~~~=^._.^=~~~**_

_**A/N: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!**_

_**One thing I've noticed on this site is that everyone seems to be under the impression that Artemis is the same age as Wally, but the creators of Young Justice have actually said that she is sixteen, where-as Wally is only fifteen. Therefore, as this little ficlet takes place two years in the future, Wally is seventeen and Artemis is eighteen. Also, if the characters seem kinda OOC, it's just because they're two years older and therefore more mature.**_

_**(1) This is an AMAZING drink! And yes, I did invent it myself. I highly recommend it, just don't drink too much if you happen to have a high blood sugar level. Measurements and ingredients can be adjusted to your own personal tastes.**_

_**PS, don't you love how I managed to slip in a bit about Cheshire being a mole? I've noticed that in everything I write, Jade has at least a cameo appearance, and in just about all of them, she isn't fully evil. Meh, what can I say? She's my favorite character, even more-so than Artemis.**_

_**You know what would be the best Christmas present ever? Reviews~. Please leave me one and make a lonely, slightly anti-social teenage girls year!**_

_**Once again, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to one and all!**_

_**:D~ Celty**_


End file.
